I woke up and my mind flew instantly to that last, gentle pressure against my skin - what had just happened?

He didn’t just kiss me! No way! But it definitely felt like it. I guess I didn’t know what else it could have been! So gentle… I got butterflies in my stomach from even thinking about it! Seriously, what was with this guy? I’d never felt like this about another guy before.

So utterly confused, it took me a few minutes to notice that I had been in my front yard, and now somehow I wasn’t there anymore. I was lying in a warm, comfortable bed, covered in a furry grey, animal skin throw and lots of red velvet cushions.

The bed stood in a huge and almost empty room. It was dark – thick wooden boards were nailed over the windows – not a single ray of sunshine could penetrate them. I wondered why it was so dark… I wondered where on earth I was!

I clambered out of bed, ready to explore the room. Someone had laid out a pile of my own, freshly washed and ironed clothes. ‘What are they doing there?’ I wondered. But I decided that seeing as they were mine I might as well wear them. Discarding the muddy and blood stained clothes I had been wearing for the past two days, I began changing into the freshly laundered ones which someone had placed on the edge of the bed. Everything was here – shirt, jeans, boxers…

Suddenly I heard the sound of a door opening somewhere behind me. Oh shit! I pulled on my boxers up at top speed.

G stopped dead in the doorway holding a tray of steaming mugs, the scent of coffee swamped the room, his mouth hanging open. I blushed a very deep shade of red and pulled on my jeans as fast as I could, but it was too late, he has already seen everything!

“Sorry honey…”

Honey? My heart skipped a beat, though I tried not to show it. Even though I was still pretty much terrified of him my heart raced with excitement just from being this close to him. He handed my one of the coffees from the tray and sat down on the corner of the bed. As I took the mug from him our hands brushed. I felt my skin prickle with longing. Itching to run my fingers over his skin - savour the moment – I looked into his eyes again.

He was staring right back at me, with a look that perfectly mirrored how I was feeling.

“Frankie, I’m sorry I hurt you. I’m such an idiot. I just, I knew that was my only chance, if I’d let you go, I would never see you again…”
“Who are you?” I asked, realising that I didn’t even know.
“I am Gerard Way.”

Gerard Way. The name triggered a flood of memories that had been pushed to the back of my mind. I was in 4th grade. My best friend was Mikey Way. I used to go to his house everyday after school. His house smelled of coffee and cigarettes and was always dark. He had an older brother, Gerard, who was very quiet but could always make me laugh. Then one day I wasn’t welcome at the Way’s house anymore. I never found out why. I still saw Mikey around school but never Gerard. I’d really missed him. You never find out how much you care about someone until they’re gone.

Flipping back into the present I looked into Gerard’s eerily pale face and said – “I haven’t seen you in years. What happened?”
“It’s a long story…”

I looked around the dark room. I had nowhere to be, and I doubted Gerard would let me go if I did.